Participation should be the most inclusive and intensive as possible, encompassing public and private agents involved in the planning and management of the tourism businesses to guarantee the success of the development model. It is necessary to ensure that the tourism development will be a win-win deal for all local stakeholders and therefore nobody is excluded from the welfare distribution.
The effective participation of many stakeholders is the best guarantee of consensus, commitment and will for implementing the development model. It is convenient to convey an image of cohesion and effectiveness to the stakeholders outside the tourism industry, so long as their cooperation is likely to be necessary at some point.
Furthermore, participation is to leverage all the stakeholders’ intelligence and creativity, also as a starting point for developing a culture of collaboration and innovation, and to set the basis for a successful development of the open innovation system. In this point it is important to understand that participants are very much willing to bring in their ideas and to have their opinions taken into account, so to feel co-creators of the development project. Further, by letting them know how their ideas and opinions have been useful, they are likely to build an emotional connection with the project, thus enhancing their commitment and will for contribution throughout its development.
To what extent do you think that local stakeholders opinion should be considered?
